Online Romance, Offline Friendship
by Kyrus Darkblade
Summary: Online, the two are lovers. Offline, the two are friends. What happens when Yusaku finds out his online girlfriend is his offline best friend? Can the love they share online happen offline as well?
1. Online: Love Blossoms

A/N: Hello, this is my first story. So, in this AR, Yusaku and Aoi's parents are still present, and no Knights of Hanoi. All good? Great. Let's begin

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Online: Love Blossoms**

Recently, Playmaker's popularity in Vrains has skyrocketed. After he pulled off a miraculous comeback against Go Onizuka, the former top of the Duel Rankings, and a similar move followed by a One-Turn-Kill against Blue Angel, people have started calling him the "Ace of Vrains" or the "Champion of Vrains", but one thing that everyone agrees on is that the titular Playmaker, has truly earned his name. Yusaku Fujiki, the "man behind the mask", doesn't know why, but he seems to enjoy this newfound popularity. Even during his duel against Blue Angel, he felt enjoyment. It's as though the Idol of Vrains opened his eyes to the wonders of dueling.

And then, as he was contemplating recent events, he got a Private Message from Blue Angel herself.

"W-What?!" He hoped that noone could hear him scream after looking at a single message. But this was unlike any other message.

 _'Playmaker,_

 _You are quite the interesting duelist. One-Turn-Kills are not easy to pull off, especially against me ;)_

 _Do you happen to be free tomorrow at 6.25 pm? Let's go hang out together :)_

 _I'll be waiting for a reply, Playmaker._

 _\- Blue Angel'_

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Yusaku had absolutely no clue what to do. He wasn't the type of guy to get invites to hang out, let alone from the girl that is without a doubt, the most popular player in Vrains. Then again, his online persona was rapidly catching up to that of the Angel's, in terms of popularity. But what would he do? He can't just reject Blue Angel of all people. And the smiley and winking emojis in the message didn't help at all.

After verifying the sender (through searching player profiles and leaderboards), he (reluctantly) replied to her message, accepting her invitation. And after a while, he received a reply, followed by a friend request.

 _'Great, meet ya at the place where we met for our duel. See ya tomorrow :)'_

"I'm gonna regret this" Yusaku thought to himself as he accepted the Idol's friend request.

* * *

After logging out, Yusaku just slumped onto the sofa, and sighed.

"Had a rough day, Yusaku?" His mother just walked into the living room, startling him slightly. "How's your Vrains dueling going? I heard you became quite the player." She smiled at him.  
"Yeah, I pulled off a couple Link Summon chain combos"  
"I can never understand Link Summon, or the new rules for that matter. But my Fusion deck..."

At that point, Yusaku's father butted in.

"Oh please, Lunalights only really need to have one Fusion monster on the field at once. It's still viable."  
"Oh shut it Yuri!" His mother giggled. His father put his hand on Yusaku's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, my son. Just know that whatever it is, you'll have our support."  
"Thanks dad."

The newfound encouragement gave him the motivation to continue on and meet Blue Angel without worry.

"Maybe this won't be so bad."

* * *

Or so he thought. The next day, 6.15 pm, a mere ten minutes before he is to meet Blue Angel, he was worried sick. He had just completed a duel challenge by a small fry, winning with a combination of Trigate Wizard, Encode Talker, and a low ATK monster.

"Sorry pal, I gotta rush! As Encode Talker is Co-Linked to Trigate Wizard, I deal double damage!" He said as he dealt a crushing blow, ending the duel on the second turn.

"Argh, I'm late, I'm late! Hey Ignis! Keep up this Data Storm, I need to go somewhere."  
"Sure thing, you'll get there in no time!"

And sure enough, Yusaku got there with five minutes to spare.

"That was fast."  
"Yup! By the way, I'll just be switching to hibernate mode until you're done with your date. Have fun!"  
"This is **not** a date! It's..." Before Yusaku could finish his sentence, Ignis switched to hibernate, to leave him in peace with Blue Angel. Yusaku just sighed.

"Now, where is she...?"  
"PLAYMAKER!"  
"Oh no..."

Sure enough, Yusaku's rival, who goes by the online name "Revolver", arrived instead.

"Playmaker, let's see who has the better Dragon! Duel me!"  
"Not so fast!" Both Yusaku and Revolver turn to see Go, standing above them. "I will duel Playmaker!"

"No, I will!" Revolver retorted  
"Uh, guys..." Yusaku tried to say something but instead...

"No! Playmaker's mine for today, boys." Just like that, Blue Angel arrived just in time. There they stood, back-to-back, Playmaker and Blue Angel, facing Revolver and Go.

"6.26. You're late Miss Blue Angel."  
"I had to convince my brother not to spy on me today. Anyway, you seem to be enjoying yourself here, Playmaker."  
"No more than how much I'll enjoy myself later when we get out of this predicament."  
"Fair enough." She giggled. And as surprising and poorly timed as the paparazzi, a frog being carried by a bird flew above them.

"Hey! It's Playmaker! And is that... Blue Angel, Go and Revolver! What's going on?"  
"Not you again!" All duelists present shouted in unison. At that point, Playmaker and Blue Angel knew they had to run.  
"Ngh, time for a great escape. Ignis!"  
"Rebooting, rebooting."  
"Can it, you glorified JavaScript code"  
"Haha, alright, initiating Data Storm... now!"  
"Blue! Come on!"

And just like that, Playmaker and Blue Angel hop into their respective hoverboards and ride the Data Storm. Blue Angel winked at Playmaker, making him blush slightly, but the moment didn't last long, as Go and Revolver quickly caught up.

"Grr, annoying. Ignis, duel protocol Alpha-4!"  
"W-What? A tag duel! You're kidding me! And a Master Duel too?" Yusaku just looked at Blue Angel and smiled.  
"I have to end this quick, don't I? Besides..." Playmaker noted the frog flying high above them, a camera mounted on the bird's head. "Let's put on a show for the fans, right Blue?"  
"Right!" Blue Angel smiled at Yusaku's last sentence, and both dismounted their hoverboards and landed on the nearest building suitable for a tag duel using Master Duel rules, Go and Revolver joining them shortly. "Now..."

A few turns later...

"Now, I complete the Extra Link! Link Summon! Link-1, Link Disciple!" Much to the shock and sheer surprise of everyone present, Yusaku has a Link Monster in both Extra Monster Zones.  
"Impossible..." Go and Revolver stared in shock.  
"Since there's a Cyberse on my field I Special Summon Backup Secretary, and since there's a Link Monster on my field, I Special Summon Link Inflyer. Then I Link Summon! Link-2, Link Bumper! Then I activate Monster Reborn and Special Summon Honeybot from my Graveyard!" Go and Revolver's shock could easily be seen, and so is the shock of the audience.  
"Amazing! Playmaker now has 7 Link Monsters, and controls both Extra Monster Zones! Is this the never before seen Extra Link?"

Blue Angel just looked in awe at the field. "Wow... Playmaker."

But Revolver isn't going down without a fight.  
"Trap card activate! Bad Luck Blast. I target my Cracking Dragon, take 1.5k damage and inflict it..." Revolver points to Blue Angel.  
"...to **you** Blue Angel!" Blue angel had only 1.1k Life Points left. She braced to lose with the effect damage.

"I won't let you damage her!" And as he said that, Blue Angel's heart skipped a beat. "Trigate Wizard's effect! Since there are three monsters co-linked with Trigate, if a card or effect is activated, I negate the effect and banish that card."  
"Ngh, at least I don't take the damage." Revolver said. Playmaker saved Blue Angel!

Using the 7 Link Monsters, he blew away both Go and Revolver, dropping their Life Points to 0 simultaneously.

"Argh, I'm just not feeling good today, we're having a rematch soon, Playmaker!" said Revolver.  
"I'll get back at you someday, Playmaker!" said Go.

Both of them then logged off, leaving just Playmaker and Blue Angel.

"That was amazing!" Blue Angel ran up to Yusaku and hugged him. "You were so cool, and brave. To take on both of them, without much help needed from me. That was just... Amazing!" Blue Angel pulled back from the hug and held Playmaker's hands.  
"It was nothing. I had to do what I did. Besides, we had a plan today... a date." At that one word, Blue Angel just gasped and smiled.  
"Yes, a date."

They didn't see the frog hovering closer and closer.

"What's this!? Playmaker and Blue Angel are...!?" The two aforementioned duelists got the shock of their lives when the embodiment of the paparazzi showed up.

On the screens in the city in the real world, everyone present in the city plaza looked up, and saw a sight to behold: Playmaker and Blue Angel holding hands, looking so happy. Even Shoichi, Yusaku's family's friend, smiled.

"Oh Yusaku. Serena's gonna be surprised when she hears about this."

Back in Vrains, Blue Angel and Yusaku probably had one of the worst first dates ever.

"Time to run?"  
"Yup, let's go!"

Still holding hands, the two race their way away from the frog, and out of sight of the paparazzi.

"Phew..." the boy commented, "we got away." But before he could say anything else, the girl put up her hand, signalling him to stop talking for a while.

"Playmaker, you're really an interesting person. Did you mean what you said when you said, you wouldn't let anyone deal damage to me?"  
"Yes."  
"And when you used your Trap Card earlier before you had Trigate, to prevent me from taking effect damage... That was on purpose, right?"  
"Yes."  
"Then, Playmaker..." She gave him a peck on the cheek, making him blush. "Thank you."  
"You're welcome." The pair just stared into each others' eyes for a moment.

"Do you... want to..." Blue Angel tried to ask, but a shyness that was never seen before by Yusaku started to show, it started to remind him of a friend of his. In the end she just gave up, and sent a request.

"W-What?"  
"Playmaker, could we be a couple?"

Staring back at Yusaku is a declaration of love. A request to be a couple. Yusaku was surprised. He didn't think that the most popular girl in Vrains would even consider dating him. But right there, he was given the option to make it a reality.

He gladly accepted. Blue Angel's eyes lit up and they both embraced each other.

"Playmaker, I love you."  
"I love you too, Blue Angel."

* * *

Haha, now that's something. This is my first attempt at something decent, so... yeah, there you go. Anyway, hope you like the little cameo in the middle with Serena and Yuri from Arc-V, I've seen some people think that Serena and Yuri are Yusaku's parents for some reason, so I decided to entertain the thought. Anyway, peace! Leave a review if you like it


	2. Offline: Friendship Forged

**Chapter 2: Offline: Friendship Forged**

Well, this was not how he'd have hoped the public reaction would be.

After the short portrayal of Playmaker and Blue Angel holding hands in a loving way, social media just exploded with articles writing about the two as rivals, lovers, and possible theories. Yusaku did not like people being nosy when it comes to private issues. But that was **before** , they were seen having dinner together at the Multi-Eyes Restaurant (a Galaxy-Eyes Meal set for two, an Odd-Eyes Dissolved Soda for him, and Blue-Eyes Mountain for her). Once that happened... the media just went into a blitz.

"Argh, they just had to show up now, don't they?"  
"Day in the life of a celebrity."  
"At least you're used to this."  
"Only to the paparazzi showing up wherever. Not to them crashing my date!" Blue turned around quickly as Yusaku drank up his soda and tossed it into the trash bin.

"I think we lost them Blue. Let's quickly log out before they find us again."  
"Yeah, let's."  
"See you soon Blue. I love you." Playmaker took Blue Angel's hand and gently kissed it, melting the idol's heart  
"I love you too Playmaker!"

They both logged out before the paparazzi could get any more "juicy news". However, one sneaky little frog and an equally sneaky pigeon caught a nice view.

"Hehe, this one's going on the front page tomorrow. Hehe."

* * *

Once the date was over, he logged off, preparing to face his parents. He walked on into the living room, hoping and praying not to see an angry father and mother.

"How nice, it seems you already had your first date." His father said, without a hint of anger in his words.

"Mom? Dad? Y-You're not... mad at me?"

"Oh sweetie, why would we be? You seem so happy with that girl. And she seems to like you too." His mother gave a warm smile, that instantly made him feel a sense of reassurance. "Just... do be careful, until you get to meet her outside of Vrains. I'm not saying you should be skeptical. Just don't do something stupid, like your father once did."

"Hey!" Yusaku and his mother both laughed.

"Anyway, would you like to rest up? It's getting late, and tomorrow's a school day."

"Alright mom, I'll go. See ya, love you."

"Love you." "Love you."

As he walked into his room, he really did have the question: 'What was Blue Angel like in real life?' He thought for a moment before deciding to just leave it to fate to figure it out, lest his expectations betray him. And with that thought, he slumped onto his bed and the feeling of sleepiness engulfed him.

* * *

As usual, the next day, Yusaku was on the way to school. By pure chance (or by fate), a girl from the same school as him passed by him, running, as though she was late (in reality, both of them had plenty of time). However, in her rush, she tripped and fell.

"Are you okay?!" Yusaku rushed over to the fallen girl.

"Y-Yeah, I'm... okay." The girl was clearly shy, but as Yusaku helped her up, he got a good look at her face. Something about it reminded him of Blue Angel, however, he thought there was no way the two are one in the same person, since she's so shy. She had a nice shade of brown in her hair, and it looked fluffy (as soon as Yusaku noted that, he mentally slapped himself).

"Oww!" Suddenly, the girl was clutching her knee. It seems she scraped it when she fell.  
"What's wrong?" Yusaku took a look at her knee and saw a large gash there (for benefit of the readers, I will leave out the gory details). "You're hurt!"  
"I-It's fine... Ow!"  
"No it's not. Here, let me help you." Yusaku put his hand over her shoulder for support, and they walked together to school.

"How is it?"  
"It... hurts a lot!"  
"We got to get you to the nurse's office."  
"Nonono, it's fine, I..."  
"Trust me." Yusaku's smile was all it took to calm her, and the walk to school was met with little other problems, and little conversation until Yusaku decided to break the silence.

"So, what's your name?"  
"You... don't know me?"  
"Frankly, no. This is the first time I ever saw you."  
"T-That's surprising. Everyone at school knows me."  
"Then don't let me be the only one not to." The girl smiled at him before answering.  
"Aoi. Aoi Zaizen."  
"Pleasure to meet you Aoi. I'm Yusaku. Yusaku Fujiki."  
"Glad to meet you too Yusaku. Say, you remind me of someone..."

Before Aoi could question further, the nearby screen turned on and showcased the news of the day. And right there, where everyone can see it, is the scene from yesterday: Playmaker kissing Blue Angel's hand. Instantly, Aoi hid her face and Yusaku turned away, but not before noticing Aoi's reaction.

"Do you know Blue Angel?" The shy Aoi suddenly looked up at Yusaku with a shock.  
"Uh, y-yeah, everyone knows her. She's the most popular Duelist in Vrains. And now, it looks like she's dating Playmaker..." A blush formed on Aoi's cheek, and from that, Yusaku guessed she idolizes Playmaker (which, considering they're the same person, makes for a much more awkward situation to be in for Yusaku).  
"Yeah, they look cute together, don't they?" The blush on Aoi's cheeks brightened.  
"Yeah, they really do."

* * *

A few minutes more of chatting and the pair reached the school grounds.

"Alright, we're here Aoi." Yusaku led her to a bench to sit down. "Well, I'm sure you're other friends can help you better than I can from here."  
"Uh, no... they can't."  
"Huh? Why not?"

"I... _don't have any friends_..."

"What!? But you're so pret– I mean, you're so popular? Everyone knows you, right?"  
"Do you know why they know me?"  
"Do tell."  
"My... step-brother... Akira Zaizen. He's the Security Manager at SOL Technologies."  
"That's great, then why do you say you..."  
"Because he's the only reason anyone ever approaches me!" Yusaku was taken aback. He didn't expect her to react so angrily. "Everyone either wants the newest Duel Disk, or a job at SOL Technologies."  
"Oh, r-right..." Yusaku sighed. "So, I guess... you think I'm here for the same reason?" Aoi stayed silent. "Well, I guess if you really think that way, then there's no helping it."

Yusaku started to get up, but Aoi tugged his sleeve, motioning for him to stay.

"No, I... I don't think that way about you."

Out of all the things Yusaku could say in response...

"Really? Are you sure?"  
"Yes, really. Do you doubt me?"

Yusaku mentally bonked his head with mallet made of steel.

"N-No, it's just that..." Aoi just giggled.  
"I'm just kidding with you." Yusaku felt like a heavy burden has been lifted from his shoulders.  
"Phew. That's a relief."  
"I feel like I can trust you. And judging by your reactions, you really didn't know who my step-brother was, or who I was."  
"Yeah, I'm sorry."  
"Don't be." Aoi smiled at him. Yusaku smiled back, and for a while, he could see Blue Angel's face for a moment.

"Blue."  
"Hmm? What did you say?"  
"Oh, uh, nothing, really, just..." Yusaku breathed in for a moment before talking again. "You remind me of Blue Angel."

"W-What?!"  
"You only remind me of her, it's not like you actually are Blue Angel. Haha." Aoi started poking Yusaku's arm.  
"Well, don't scare me like that again."  
"Hey, haha."

* * *

Some time passed in cheerful happiness before Aoi's knee started hurting again.

"Ow ow ow ow."  
"Your knee! I forgot. We gotta get you to the nurse's office."  
"Yeah, let's go."

At the nurse's office, Aoi's knee got bandaged up, and on the instruction of the nurse, Yusaku will have to accompany Aoi for most of the day.

"Well, looks like I'll be sticking around for quite a while."  
"That's fine, you're my friend, right?" Yusaku was surprised to hear her consider him as one of her friends.  
"Me? Your friend?"  
"Yes. My first friend. Who knows? You might even be my best friend." The two friends smiled at each other. Aoi held her fist up to Yusaku. "Friends?" Yusaku held up his fist and they both fist bumped.

"Friends."

With that, Yusaku gained a friend. And a pretty one at that. But Yusaku couldn't think about how pretty she was. Not when he has a darling "angel" to love. But he must not bring online things into the real world, especially since it's Blue Angel. Noone would believe him if he said he's Playmaker and that he's dating Blue Angel. But his eyes went back to Aoi's smiling face, and it just reminded him of Blue Angel. Then he remembered his mother's words.

 _"...until you get to meet her outside of Vrains."_

'But there's no way she could be Blue Angel, is there?' Yusaku thought. 'That is quite a long shot. Probably isn't what I think it is.'

He just shook his head and banished the thought like Blue Angel banished his cards. Aoi wondered what had gotten into him, before asking.

"Hey, let's get to class. It's almost time."

* * *

After school, Yusaku walked home with Aoi (as requested by the nurse and Aoi herself).

"You know, Yusaku, I never really got to walk home with anyone. It was always so lonely."  
"At least you have me now, my house is this way too."  
"Ooh, cool. Then we can walk back home together more often!"  
"Well, here's my house. I'll go tell my mom and dad I have to walk with you home." He called for his mother and father, and soon after, his mother opened the door.

"Hello sweetie, who's this?"  
"This is Aoi Zaizen. She scraped her leg, and by request of the nurse, I have to help walk her back home." Aoi waved to his mother and she waved back.  
"D'aww, how gentlemanly of you, Yusaku. Well, go on. I'll prepare the usual for dinner?"  
"Yes please. I'll be back soon, don't worry. Bye!"  
"Bye!" Aoi bowed again before walking with Yusaku back to her place.

"You're quite close to your mother aren't you?"  
"Yes I am."  
"Cool."

A few more minutes of idle chatter and directions led them straight to Aoi's house.

"Alright, we're here. Thanks Yusaku."  
"It was nice meeting you."  
"I'm glad for the time we spent..." Aoi smiled. "...together." Yusaku smiled back. They stood in silence before Aoi spoke out.

"Remember how I said you _might_ be my best friend?" Yusaku nodded. "Keep this up, and you _will_ be my best friend." Aoi smiled cheerfully.  
"Of course I will. You're my friend after all."  
"Hehe, thanks Yusaku. See ya later. Bye."  
"Bye."

Yusaku and Aoi said their goodbyes and parted. But what they both don't see... overlooking from the window of the apartment on the top floor, Akira Zaizen himself watched Yusaku walk away.

"Aoi..."

* * *

A/N: Ta-da, second chapter. And my goodness, judging from the reviews, you seem to love this. Also, I got noticed by phantomwolfblue! I just loved her Vrains stories so much. And XBrain130 too, from the YuGiOh wiki. I remember him helping in editing out details of the Vrains episodes while I did the "Featured Duels" section. Good to see ya both :D

Here's just some bits and pieces of the first day of their friendship. I know it's heavy on dialogue, but yeah, stuff like that happens

I know a lot of the things are really different from the anime, like Revolver, and Yusaku's personality. Well, how about for purposes of this story, we'll leave it at that for the moment. Okay? :)

Anyway, I'll try my best with this story. Not sure how often I should release chapters, maybe weekly every Saturday? I don't know, I'd like to keep the suspense there, but not too long. Also, word count on my chapters is a thing too.

Anyways, things I'll improve on, and things you guys can help me with. Feedback is greatly appreciated, and I'll try to respond to any questions you have for me. Peace!


	3. Online: Lights in the Sky

**Chapter 3: Online: Lights in the Sky**

As they departed, Aoi felt an unfamiliar, yet pleasant feeling towards Yusaku. It's almost as if she found the perfect guy. It reminded her of Playmaker. The thought of the Vrains hero brought a bright red blush to Aoi's cheeks.

She wanted to meet Playmaker again, so she thought of rushing home so she could log in to Vrains. She smiled her way to the lobby where the cleaning lady noticed her.

"Good afternoon Aoi. My, you look pretty happy today. Did something happen today?"  
"Good afternoon Miss Lee. It's nothing too exciting."  
"Does it have something to do with that charming boy you were with a while ago?" The cleaning lady smirked.  
"N-No, of course not..." Aoi was just terrible at lying. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart.  
"It's alright, I won't tell Akira. Now, go on, he's waiting for you upstairs."

Aoi gasped. Akira, at home? At this time? Waiting for her? This isn't normal. Especially for someone as busy as Akira. Maybe it's because...  
No, she prayed it wasn't what she thought it was. She mustered up all the courage she could and returned home, ready to face Akira.

* * *

1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The elevator stopped at the 5th floor, the top floor. It was also the largest and most luxurious floor of the building, with an astonishing overview of the city and its inhabitants. As Aoi entered her (large) apartment, she noticed a set of shoes in front of the door.

"Akira's home." She thought. And speaking of which, there he was, overlooking the street Aoi and Yusaku came from. There could be a myriad of things he could be particularly distasteful about, but Aoi hoped that it wasn't about...

"So, you're with Playmaker now, are you?"  
Yup, it was about that.  
"Akira! I-I can explain..."  
"What might there be to explain? I can see it clearly, there's no need for the details. You're dating Playmaker. Dating!" It's clear from his tone upon saying his last word that he was pissed that she was even dating at all. Thank goodness it wasn't because of Playmaker himself...  
"And to make things worse, you're dating Playmaker! The one enigma in our system. He's basically a complete stranger!" Aoi couldn't take that from Akira. She loved Playmaker, she had to stand up for their relationship.  
"No! I spent enough time with him that I know I can trust him with my heart."  
"You don't know what you're talking about Aoi. This Playmaker is unknown, likely because he erased his credentials from our system, meaning he hacked our system, and hence, makes him a criminal."  
"It doesn't matter! I still love him, brother!" Suddenly, Aoi felt a sharp pain in her knee. "Oww!"

"Aoi!" Quickly, Akira rushed to Aoi's aid, helping her sit on the sofa. Akira spoke again, this time, voice softened.  
"Either way, whether it's Playmaker or not, you are not ready for a relationship. Your real social life is not strong, I can see that."  
"At least I'm taking a step in the right direction." Aoi gazed out at the street where she walked with Yusaku.  
"This is about that boy from your school right?" Akira smiled. "He seems like a good boy, to help walk you home. What's his name?"  
"Yusaku. Yusaku Fujiki. He lives along the path to school."  
"So quite close by. Alright, I'll give him a proper, formal thanks for assisting you. I..."  
"Don't say it!"  
"...promise." Too late. Aoi knew that when Akira promised something, especially to repay a debt, he never breaks it. "Did you say something?"  
"Oh, uh, nothing. Say I'll be in my room for a while."

"If you're logging onto Vrains, could you do me a favour and find out the identity of Playmaker." Aoi looked at Akira with a confused look. "Look, the only reason why I'm not so sure of Playmaker is because I can't really verify his identity. For some reason, his credentials don't show up, probably due to some kind of virus that wiped it out. But there's something else about him..." Akira talked about his cards, the Cyberse cards. "If you could find out his identity, I could verify who he is. If he's a good person, then I can allow you to date him."

Aoi stood at the doorway, tapping her foot on the floor, glaring at Akira.

"Fine, you can still date him." Aoi smiled before walking into her room, but Akira stopped her for a moment. "For the record, I would allow you to date someone like that Yusaku fellow. But not Playmaker, _yet_." Aoi blushed extremely red and just ran into her room, embarrassed.

* * *

"Into the Vrains!" Aoi said, resting on her soft chair. With that, a few moments later, she entered into the virtual world to find herself... in a closet? What?

"Under normal circumstances, this would be weird. But this is *not* normal circumstances. This is before I meet Playmaker. I have to look my best. Right, narrator?" She's right. She loves Playmaker dearly, so she wants to look her best for him. How adora– wait a minute, did she just address... me!?

Anyway, with the paparazzi swarming Vrains like Deskbots (yes, there are some who have Deskbots as their online avatar), if she doesn't prepare soon, she'll be met with the cameras. Then Playmaker will see her unprepared! Oh, what a nightmare that would be!

While getting ready to meet Playmaker, a chat box appeared, saying he was waiting for her in the Residential District. She was slow this time. Bogged down by a knee injury and an annoying step-brother. How would she explain this one?

"Oh no! Uh... ohhh... I don't know what I'm doing." Blue Angel was panicking. In a fit, she accidentally pressed the "Teleport to" button.

"W-What!" When pressed, it would teleport one to the person they were talking to, if they were friends for over 48 hours. "No no no no, wait wait wait!" Too late.

* * *

A brilliant flash of light soared through the sky, indicating that someone is teleporting, but there were too many in the sky during peak hours to notice a single one. It became like an attraction. Like staring at a bright painting, like gazing at the stars, or like watching a meteor shower. Beautiful, stunning, breathtaking. Playmaker knew this. He knew it well. And it just so happens that he knows one of the best places to watch the lights in the sky.

Playmaker watched from afar. The lights right now are beautiful. But in a few moments, it will be so amazing. It'll be the perfect thing to show Blue Angel. Playmaker took a big risk to set it up.

 _"Everyone, I need your help. But I'll also need you to keep this a secret, especially from Blue Angel."_

Crowds are difficult to keep under control. So Playmaker got lucky with a cooperative bunch. He stood before a group of about 50 reporters for a favour, especially the frog and his bird friend. They were the ones who he personally asked for. The frog and his buddy both show Vrains to the outside world. So they were important.

So Playmaker stood in the Residential District, where players' houses are, including his own humble abode. He stood gazing up at the lights, and noticed one in particular looked odd. It looked like it was... coming towards him!

"Wait who's that?" And in a flash, Blue Angel herself appeared before her, disorientated.  
"Oooh, my head."  
"Are you okay?"  
"Mostly."  
"That's good."  
"So, where are we going?"  
"Somewhere special, you'll see."

Playmaker took Blue Angel by the hand, and walked with her.

"So, how was your day?" Yusaku started.  
"Not the best. I sprained my knee while on my way to school this morning." Yusaku was surprised. Aoi sprained her knee too on the way to school. Was it a coincidence? "But at least, I have a nice friend who helped me through the day. He is a nice guy. But my heart is still yours, Playmaker." Blue Angel kissed him on the cheek. Playmaker kissed her in return.  
"Aww, I love you Blue."  
"I love you too Playmaker."  
"Anyway, we're here." Playmaker motioned to a short, straight path that leads to the base of a beautiful cherry blossom tree, where you can perfectly see the Vrains skyline. The lights coming on randomly look amazing at this time.

"Wow, so pretty!"  
"Not as pretty as this." Playmaker pulled up a chat with a reporter, telling him to 'go for it'.

In the next instant, an extremely large number of people started teleporting all at once towards their homes.

* * *

The frog and the bird were watching from the top of the skyscraper.

"Woah! Amazing!" The beams of light, all the different colours, travelling all at once. It made a brilliant shine as the collective lights moved as one to the Residential District. It was as though a large meteor flew through the sky, and it was amazing. And the bird was filming all of this live.

In the real world, though it was late, the City Plaza was still crowded, everyone tired from a long day of work. Then, the TV screens in the Plaza lit up, and a glorious view of the light in the sky of Vrains was shown. Instantly, the fatigued populace now stood and gazed at the shining light.

"Wow!"  
"That's so pretty!"  
"Amazing!"  
"How did they do that?"

Back in Vrains, Playmaker and Blue Angel's vantage point was right below the path of the light. As such, the light flew overhead them at one point, and the lovebirds were enveloped by the soft light.

"Wow, this is amazing Playmaker, how did you do this?"  
"I have my ways." Blue Angel hugged Playmaker tightly. "I did it for you."  
"I know you did Playmaker. I love you!"  
"I love you too, Blue." Playmaker poked Blue Angel's nose playfully.  
"Hey!" Blue Angel laughed while blushing madly.

The pair just watched the rest of the spectacle in silence as the lights flew past them. It felt like they were sitting there staring at the stars. But this is much more than just stars, it was a thousand shooting stars. And Blue Angel got the best place to see it.

She loved it.

And on that day, Vrains and the rest of Den City experienced a wonder unlike any they've seen before.


	4. Offline: Project Work

**Chapter 4: Offline: Project Work**

It was a good thing Playmaker asked the reporters to help out with his plan, else the "stalker-like, camera-wielding nutheads" (as Blue Angel calls them) would be all over them. They were all occupied with the bright lights. It was the perfect distraction, and the perfect gift. At least noone would interrupt their moment together, in peace, serenity, and the company of each other. The cherry blossom tree they stood under, the lights blazing in the night sky, and the face of the girl he loved, and the face of the guy she loved, were engraved into their memories. Soon, the lights faded, and the moment ended. But they were now in each others' arms, both pulled into a tender, loving embrace, speaking to each other in a way only they understood, telling a story that can't be put into words.

That is love.

That was the feeling of truly caring for someone, for their everything. That was the fiery emotion filled with passion. And that is the only bond that can transcend worlds, and defy laws of space and time that were set in place centuries ago.

They broke from their warm embrace, only for Playmaker to offer his hand to her. Blue Angel gladly accepted, and they walked away from the cherry blossom tree, hand in hand. It felt surreal to her, treading on the straight path. Like something between them would happen here. Along this same path, with the same cherry blossom tree overlooking them. Then, Blue Angel looked at her hand, fingers interlocked with Playmaker's. She looked back, and imagined a red carpet beneath her feet, going past rows of spectators, and ending at that same cherry blossom tree, only to see Playmaker and Akira, standing beneath the tree looking at her.

"Hey, Blue, you alright?" His voice snapped her out of her wild imagination. She then looked towards Playmaker, whose smiled filled her heart with warmth.  
"Yeah. I'm fine. That light show was amazing."  
"It truly was better than I planned it."  
"If only your dragon could come out and fly alongside the light. Maybe your two 'Talkers' too?" Blue Angel then sighed. "Too bad we don't have Real Solid Vision in Vrains."  
"Huh? What? Real Sol–"  
"Oh nothing Playmaker. You did a great job setting this up."

The pair decided to split up at the crossroads where the side path met with the main road. Blue Angel logged off there, but Playmaker felt like he still had something to do. He hit the teleport button to go back to his house in the Residential District.

* * *

The soft chair felt so cozy that Aoi could just sleep in it, and to the outside world, that was what it looked like. However, she really was in Vrains. And when she "wakes up", it means she logged off.

And as she "woke up" and went into the kitchen for dinner, she was surprised to see Akira still there.

"Aoi, good evening. I noticed quite the display going on in Vrains. It almost knocked out our servers."  
"Yeah, a bunch of people began teleporting all at once."  
"No wonder."  
"Why are you here? I thought you'd be at work?"  
"There isn't much I can really do now. So I requested some time to be at home. Besides..." Akira pulled up a holographic clipboard. "This device lets me manage my duties from afar."  
"That's cool Akira." This meant that Akira could be home more often. And Aoi liked that.

"Anyway, there was something I wanted to ask you."  
"Hmm?"  
"You said that fellow Yusaku was in your class, right?"  
"Huh? Uh... Y-Yeah."  
"Well, do tell him that I want to meet him outside the school gate tomorrow. I have something very important to talk to him about."  
"O...kay." Aoi dragged out the "o" to sound suspicious of Akira. He just chuckled.  
"It's nothing bad, I swear. I just wanted to thank him for earlier today."  
"Alright..."

* * *

The next day, Yusaku met Aoi at the school gate, ready for classes.

"Hey Aoi, how are you."  
"I'm great, how about you?"  
"I'm fine, thank you." At that point, the bell rang.  
"Shoot, we'll be late for class!" Aoi took Yusaku by the wrist and ran to the auditorium, where their class is starting.

Aoi isn't the most social of people. And people know that. She is well-known, yet stays to herself. Everyone knows that, everyone can see that. Aoi is usually quiet, docile, and pretty much a loner...

...except when she's with Yusaku.

So when the pair had to rush to class, with her holding his hand, it wasn't met with ignorance. Everyone who recognized Aoi turned to look at her cute, blushing face while dragging Yusaku to their class, and everyone who knew both of them thought about just how cute they look together. Even though they aren't a couple (in real life, that is) everyone just ships them together. Sometimes, bets are made, not for whether or not they will get together as a couple, it's _when_ they will.

It's not very often you see the weird girl and the loner boy together like that.

Finally, after endlessly blushing through most of the way there, they reached the auditorium. And just in time too, the second bell rang, signalling the beginning of classes.

* * *

Apparently, the teacher prepared a project task for the class today. Everyone was to be in groups of 3. As expected by literally everyone in the class, Yusaku and Aoi paired up, but they needed one more member, who people would refer to as: _"the third wheel"_. They tried to look, but there was noone left without a group

Most people wouldn't willingly be the "third wheel", but Naoki Shima wasn't like most people. He was looking for a group to join, but there were no vacancies in any groups.

Out of a twist of fate, Naoki bumped into Yusaku and Aoi.

"Yusaku, how are you?"  
"Oh, uh, what was your name again?" Yusaku asked nonchalantly. Naoki felt slightly offended, but accepted that this was Yusaku. "I'm kidding Naoki, hi, how are you?"  
"Geez, Fujiki, you almost gave me a heart attack. So, you got a group already?"  
"Kind of." Yusaku gestured to Aoi. "I'm with Aoi here."  
"Hi." Aoi waved. But Naoki had a surprised reaction.  
"M-Miss Zaizen!" Naoki bowed in respect for the step-sister of the Security Manager at SOL Technologies. Aoi and Yusaku just giggled.  
"No need for formalities, Naoki. We're all friends here. Just call me Aoi"  
"Really, Miss Zaizen. I mean, Aoi."  
"Yes really."  
"Wow, new friends, that's so cool!" Naoki beamed with excitement.

"Now, we still need a third group member. Mind joining us Naoki?" Yusaku said  
"That would be awesome!"

After everyone formed their groups, the teacher instructed everyone to go somewhere to discuss. The teacher allowed anyone to leave the classroom to go wherever they'd like, so Yusaku, Aoi and Naoki went over to the school garden.

* * *

The leaves on the trees danced gracefully in the spring breeze. The flowers of the garden bloomed brightly, beaming with brilliance unmatched by anything else. The sound of a small waterfall as the water gushed down could soothe even the most frantic of minds. A loud shout was heard.

"What!"  
"Calm down Naoki, this should be easy for us. It's not due today, it's due next week." Yusaku said, checking to see if he could still hear.  
"Oh right, I just overreacted."  
"It's alright Naoki, we can do this in a few days, then we can relax the rest of the way."

The group did their work, and were tired after a while.

"Phew, we did a lot everyone. Good job, I think we can take a break now." The group decided to take a breather, after their tiring work.

* * *

Vrains Messenger is a mobile app that allows the user to sync his/her Vrains account, and message any of their friends who are either online, or also have the app.

Luckily for both Playmaker and Blue Angel, they both have it.

Aoi decided to take her phone out and text someone, and soon after, put it down. Suddenly, Yusaku felt his phone vibrate.

 _"Oh right, forgot to set it to silent"_ Then, he looked at his screen, and blushed slightly. It was a message from Blue Angel.

"Hi Playmaker, how are you?"

 _"Blue Angel? Wonder what she's up to– wait a minute. No, that can't be, can it?"_ Yusaku, in his suspicion, looked up at Aoi, who was talking to Naoki. Yusaku decided to test something out. He replied back.

"I'm doing great, how about you?"

He sent the message. Then he looked up to watch Aoi, and... to his suspicion, her phone vibrated and she smiled.

 _"Maybe it's a coincidence, it can't possibly be true. Let's see what happens when she replies to her phone."_ He watched as Aoi's fingers danced across the screen, filling the text box with words; a message to send to someone. And she really cares about that someone.

As he pondered on, he got a text back from Blue Angel.

"I'm perfectly fine. Thanks :)"

Now, Yusaku was just in shock.

 _"Wait what?! That can only mean..."_ Yusaku once again looked up at Aoi. He can't bring it up, not with Naoki here. He would have to talk to her alone. He wouldn't want unjustified thoughts create false rumors. So he decided to try and reply again.

However, Naoki butted in, startling Yusaku.

"Hey guys, did ya see the brilliant light show they had in Vrains yesterday?"  
"Yikes, you startled me Naoki. Anyway yes, I saw it."  
"Ooh, you saw it too Yusaku?" said Aoi.  
"Yeah, I saw it. It was amazing."  
"From where I stood, it flew overhead. I was right under it." Again, Yusaku's suspicion was aroused.  
"Where did you watch it?"

"It was under a beautiful cherry blossom tree."

"W-What? Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I am. I was on a path that overlooked the whole of Vrains, watching the lights shine overhead. You can even see the normal teleport lights, but nothing is as beautiful as yesterday." Then Naoki spoke.  
"Oh yes, did you know that light was actually..." Yusaku tuned out the conversation to think.

There was only one cherry blossom tree in Vrains.

 _"Wait, that means..."_

And he stood under that same tree...

 _"No way!"_

...with Blue Angel

 _"Aoi is..."_

Yusaku turned to look at Aoi.

 _"...Blue Angel!"_

There was little possibility that it was true, yet the evidence is there. And that was that Aoi is Blue Angel. Who would've thought it.

He didn't have much time to think before the bell went, allowing them to go home.

"Yes! School's over! I'm out! I'll leave you two lovebirds alone, bye!"  
"W-What!?" Both of them blasted at Naoki for saying 'lovebirds'. But if only he knew how true his words were as more than a simple tease.

"Hey, Yusaku, I think there's someone who'd like to meet you."  
"Really?" He seemed calm on the outside, but he's really frantic on the inside.  
"Yeah, I'm not sure he's there yet, but he said he wants to meet you." Aoi offered her hand to Yusaku. "Come, I'll take you there." Yusaku took Aoi's hand, like the many times he did before, and Aoi took Yusaku to go to the school gate, much to the pleasure of bystanders.

* * *

Soon, they ended up at the school gate, where, Aoi got a call from Akira. He couldn't arrive at school, so he asked Aoi to bring him to her house.

And so they went, to Aoi's house. Yusaku saw the exterior, but as he went in, he felt an unfamiliar, yet pleasantly soothing atmosphere. The pair met with the cleaning lady before calling for the elevator.

"Hello again, Miss Lee. I brought a friend." Aoi said  
"Why hello there. You must be Aoi's friend from the other day."  
"Hi, I'm Yusaku."  
"Why, you're such a kind gentleman, helping Aoi with her injured leg the other day. Oh you are just right for her." Both Aoi and Yusaku blushed and turned away from each other in embarrassment. "Now go ahead, Akira is waiting." Aoi nodded and took Yusaku into the elevator (which had just arrived).

"Akira? Isn't he your step-brother?"  
"Yup." Yusaku gulped. "Relax, he's not scary." Aoi pressed the '5' button

2nd floor. He glanced at Aoi.  
3rd floor. He straightened his school tie.  
4th floor. He took a long breath.

5th floor. The pair left the elevator to come face-to-face with Akira Zaizen, who looks intimidating.

"Yusaku Fujiki. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Akira Zaizen." He extended his hand, which Yusaku shook to greet the older, stern man. Nervously, yet with just enough confidence that Akira doesn't notice.

"First, I'd like to apologize for bringing you out here like this. But let's cut to the chase." Akira handed Yusaku an envelope. "This is an invitation for your family for dinner. It would be great if you could show up." Yusaku accepted the envelope, and Aoi smiled at him  
"Don't be late." Aoi winked as she said that." Yusaku bowed in thanks to Akira.  
"No need for formalities. By the way..." Akira gestured for Aoi to leave them, and Aoi entered her house.  
"Bye Yusaku, see you tomorrow!" Aoi closed the door to her house and left Yusaku to Akira.

"Sir... I mean, Akira. There's one thing I'd like to ask you."  
"There are a couple things I'd like to ask you myself. Nothing too harsh, you're a good kid."  
"Haha, thanks." Suddenly all the nervousness left Yusaku as he talked. "You ask first, Akira."

"Well, here's the thing. It's about your Vrains account."  
"Are you asking if I'm Playmaker." Akira flinched. _"Knew it."_  
"How did you know?"  
"Well, that's because I wanted to ask you: Is Aoi..."  
"Blue Angel? Yes, she is. You found this out so that means..."  
"I'm Playmaker."  
"That's good."  
"Why?"  
"You see. I've just had a feeling. We tried so hard to track Playmaker to a person, we couldn't do that. But then, I got curious and looked up your own Vrains account, and lo and behold."  
"Ah, right. I do hope you could forgive the little, anti-tracking methods I used back there."  
"Don't be, it's perfectly fine if it was you. You're Aoi's friend, and you're a good person."  
"Just don't tell her, okay? I'll tell her myself."  
"I won't"  
"So you're okay with me as Playmaker? Are you okay with me... _dating_ your step-sister."  
"Perfectly okay. Just don't you dare hurt her. Otherwise..."  
"Don't worry, if I let anything happen to her, I'll personally come to you."  
"Good." Akira and Yusaku shook hands, this time, in a friendly way. "Take care of her, Yusaku, Playmaker."

"I will."

* * *

A/N: Geez, this is a long one. I guess this is the big reveal for him. I wondered where to actually end the chapter, so I thought that Yusaku acknowledging Akira was a good idea. Anyway, yay, you guys still love this. I'll do my very best with this.

Still wondering how the last chapter will turn out (a couple more chapters first, then the finale)


	5. Online: Secrets

**Chapter 5: Online: Secrets**

"By the way..." A quick gesture from Akira which asked for Aoi to go to her room, and leave the two men behind to talk. Aoi wished she could stay and listen in on what they were talking about. They obviously were talking about her, about their friendship. Akira was always overprotective, even to a fault. But this time, for some reason, he finds solace in trusting Yusaku. It's as though the two have known each other for ages, yet the two really only met each other today. Aoi obeyed Akira and left the two, not because she was obedient to Akira – she really wanted to listen in on what they had to say – but because she respected Yusaku's privacy, and didn't want to eavesdrop.

Before she left, she gave Yusaku a genuine smile and a sweet greeting. And as she looked back at Yusaku, he smiled back. In a nice, charming... and handsome way...

 _"No, I can't think of him that way. I..."_ Too late. Aoi's heart was pounding, and she felt a sudden urge to give him a kiss on the cheek. But she didn't, because Akira was there, and he'd get furious (or so she thought). And second, she was committed. She closed her eyes as she walked back to her doorstep, and all she could see is Playmaker. His loving, caring attitude towards her. The way he treats her like a princess. It all felt so heartwarming, and then she looked back at Yusaku, and she gave a quick wave. Yusaku waved back. Then, she entered her home and disappeared out of sight of the two.

Aoi was conflicted. She really was. So she just sat on her bed and lied down. Soon after, it started raining. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, how the raindrops fell. One, two, three, hundreds, thousands, millions. Every second that passed, more and more questions flew into Aoi's mind. What was going on? What were they talking about? Who is Playmaker? What is she feeling? Why does her heart race? The lightning began. One strike. Yusaku at school. Two. Playmaker on their date. Three. Akira arguing about Playmaker. Four. All the recent, yet happy memories flooding her mind. She couldn't take it anymore. Her heart was torn between two people: Yusaku Fujiki, and Playmaker. Why, oh why, did this have to happen to her?

She decided to quell her worries by logging onto Vrains.

"Into the Vrains!"

As she logged on, she checked her friends list quickly, and was surprised to see Playmaker not online.

 _"Maybe he's busy."_ So she sent him a message, hoping for a reply.

"Hey Playmaker, how're things? Are you going onto Vrains soon? :)"

* * *

"I will."  
"That's good." It was raining outside, but Yusaku and Akira were oblivious, until the lightning strikes. "Oh dear, it looks like a storm."  
"Yikes, my umbrella!" Yusaku was desperately searching for his umbrella, which he could not find.  
"Don't worry Yusaku, I'll give you a ride home. It's just around the corner, right?"  
"Are you sure? Thanks, Akira."  
"No problem."

So the pair entered the elevator. As the doors shut, Yusaku got a message on his phone.

"Hmm, Vrains Messenger? Oh, it's Blue An– I-I mean, Aoi."  
"Well, don't just stand there, answer it." Instantly, Yusaku began typing a message.

"Hey Blue. Sure, I'll come on soon. I just had to go and meet someone after school today. Won't be long."

And soon after, a reply. The two then began chatting.

"Ooh, that's so cool. Who is it?"  
"It's just a friend's brother. No worries."  
"I'm sure your friend must really trust you to let you meet their brother," said Blue Angel, and Yusaku knew that Aoi was mirroring her own feelings of trusting him. He realized he'd have to tell her, but how? If he told her in Vrains, he'd look like a stalker. If he told her in real life, she wouldn't believe it, and he'd still look like a stalker for finding out that she's Blue Angel. He'd need Akira's help. Yusaku looked up to Akira as they stood at the basement car park of the apartment building, and instantly, he knew.

"You want my help to tell her, right?"  
"I know it sounds weak of me to do that but–" Akira put his hand up.  
"It's not weak to ask for help, Yusaku. No matter how difficult things are, allies and friends will make it easier. Especially now, she knows that I know her identity as Blue Angel. But she doesn't know that you know."  
"But how do I convince her."  
"Simple."  
"Huh?" Akira and Yusaku both went into Akira's car.  
"Look, bringing the subject up out of the blue is difficult, but I can help with that. But you have to convince her yourself."  
"I see..."  
"By the way, you have that chatterbox Ignis, right? Why not ask him to come out? You can even show off your Cyberse cards, that are one of a kind."  
"That's a great idea."  
"Do it during the dinner time."  
"Wait, don't tell me you planned it like this the whole time?" Akira just chuckled and started the car.

* * *

As soon as Yusaku got back, he equipped his old-fashioned duel disk and logged on to Vrains.

In Vrains, Speed Duels could only be conducted by a select few. Namely: Playmaker, Blue Angel, Go Onizuka and Revolver. And any random duelists that would duel them had no control over their hoverboard, and it just went in a straight line. This is because of the danger that riding the Data Storm posed. However, nowadays, Speed Duels are sanctioned by the admins (SOL Technologies), and regulations are put in place to prevent injury. Equipping emergency safety nets are mandatory so that if the Duelist falls, the safety net will activate, and their life will not be endangered. Return mechanisms, like when Playmaker returned to his hoverboard after being knocked off it by Blue Angel, can also be used. Essentially, Speed Duels are now safer. Hoverboards can also be used for general travel. Though you can't overtake duelists having a duel without diverging your path.

A voice all too familiar greeted him.

"Playmaker." He turned and was met with a man with pure yellow eyes and a glass case covering his face.  
"Revolver." The man smirked.  
"So, I hear you have a thing with Blue Angel now."  
"Yeah, why?" Revolver just whistled.  
"Just curious. Wanted to hear the news from the man himself. You heard of the new stuff they added to make Speed Duels safer."  
"When did you ever care for safety in Speed Duels?"  
"This just means I can go all out, full force. You won't be so lucky this time."  
"Heh, we'll see. But first, have you seen Blue?" Revolver just sighed.  
"I was wondering when you'd ask that question. She's having a duel now. If you want, you can use your hoverboard and follow behind them, but you can't overtake them while they're in their duel."  
"Who's the opponent?"  
"Someone called 'Ghost Girl'."  
"New competition. Might be worth checking out."  
"Well then, go ahead and support your girl. We'll have our rematch some other time."  
"Don't you want to _try_ to beat me? Are you scared?"  
"Nice try, but I know you'd rather meet Blue Angel. Now, go on." Revolver hopped onto his hoverboard and raced away. "They're that way." Revolver pointed in the opposite direction to where he's going. Playmaker jumped onto his hoverboard and began to race towards the duel.

"Ignis, speed me up."  
"Sure thing boss." And Ignis rushed the Data Storm, letting Playmaker divert his path to a separate path to bypass random duelists in their duels.

* * *

Soon, he caught up with Blue Angel and Ghost Girl. As he saw his girlfriend's opponent, he noticed a lot of pink, and a mouthpiece.

"Ninja?" The (immature) AI gleefully cheered.  
"Can it Ignis. We're going in." Ignis shifted the Data Storm that they were riding on to connect with the main one.

"Blue!"  
"P-Playmaker!?" Blue Angel blushed, and it showed on her avatar.  
"Ah, Playmaker." The pink ninja-like player greeted him. "So good to see you." Ghost Girl smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not after you anymore." Playmaker was just confused.  
"Uhh, after me?"  
"That's right. Mr. Zaizen asked me to find out who you are. Too bad though, he claims he's already found out, so he doesn't need me anymore." Blue Angel was shocked to hear that. Mr. Zaizen, Akira, her step-brother, knows who Playmaker is!? She had to ask him.

However, she was in a mess now. Ghost Girl's Altergeists were pushing Blue Angel to the limit of her abilities.

"Uh..."  
"Blue!" Playmaker shouted to get the Angel's attention. "You can do this!"  
"I-I... can?"  
"Yes you can, you're a strong Duelist. You almost beat me that time." Playmaker's words reached Blue Angel's heart. With the encouragement of Playmaker, Blue Angel set forth to win.  
"I... can, and I will! I activate my Skill!" A series of moves and forced draws left Ghost Girl almost defenseless, save for a single set card, which couldn't be activated due to Blue Angel's Light Stage.

"Now, Holly Angel, attack Altergeist Prime Banshee!" Ghost Girl readily accepted her defeat, thinking it to be too far to defeat Blue Angel in front of Playmaker.  
"Oh well, show's over. Goodbye lovebirds."  
"Wait! Ghost Girl, you said that Aki– I mean, Mr. Zaizen knows who Playmaker is. Tell me, who? Who's Playmaker?" Ghost Girl giggled.  
"I do know, but I promised not to tell. But don't worry, you'll find out soon." The ninja winked and disappeared quickly. Not logging off. But just like a normal ninja. Well... not _normal_. She just phased through the floor, leaving Playmaker and Blue Angel stunned. Just a few seconds after that, Playmaker got a message from the ninja herself.

"Don't worry, I won't be the one to reveal your identity... _Yusaku._ ;)"

Playmaker flinched, and Blue Angel noticed him looking at his messages.

"Is that a message from her?" She saw his reaction. "Oh god, she really does know. That means..."

 _"...that means Akira knows too."_

Blue Angel put her hands to her mouth in pure shock. Akira knows but hasn't told her. She desperately wanted to know the identity of the man she loved. And Akira, does he still disapprove? After knowing the true identity of Playmaker?

"Blue, I'm sorry. But I can't tell you who I am, not yet..."  
"Why not?"  
"Because..." Because he's scared. Scared that she doesn't want Yusaku as your boyfriend. Scared that the online romance, can't translate offline. But he couldn't tell her that. He had to lie.

"Because Mr. Zaizen told me not to... until later." Blue Angel started to tear up. "Hey, Blue. I'm sorry, I'll really make it up to you." Playmaker clasped his hands around her hand, calming her down.  
"I'm fine now, Playmaker, thanks to you. You have good intentions. I guess I just need some space."  
"I'll give you the space you need then. I'll see you some other day then?"  
"Sure. I'll just message you."  
"I'll look out for that." With that, Playmaker logged off. And Blue Angel did too soon after.

* * *

Aoi opened her eyes and was met with reality once again. Only when she heard the sound of metal clanging against metal did she remember. Mr. Zaizen, Akira, he knew who Playmaker was. She **had** to know.

She came out of her room bursting through the door, finding Akira and a purple haired girl sitting and having dinner together.

"Ah! A-Aoi! You're here early. I swear this isn't what you think!" Aoi just stared at the purple haired girl.  
"Ghost Girl?"  
"Blue Angel."  
"Aoi Zaizen."  
"I know very well who you are Miss Zaizen. A pleasure to meet you, I'm Ema. Ema Bessho." The pair shook hands. Akira just stared at the interaction between the two and cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Well, uh, anyway, you're offline pretty quickly today. Something happen?" Ema giggled.  
"I... I heard... you know who Playmaker is. His true identity."  
"Ah, so that's what this is about. And I wonder who spilled that secret." Akira glared at Ema, who innocently smiled back.  
"I just need to know..."  
"And you will know, in due time. Don't worry Aoi." Akira stroked Aoi's hair gently and lovingly. "Trust me, when I say you will meet him soon. Anyway, do remember to show up for the dinner tomorrow."  
"I... I will." Akira smiled.  
"Good. Now go rest for a bit. You look like you need it."

Aoi went back to her room, lied on her bed and checked her phone. She got a text, not from Playmaker, but from Yusaku.

"Hey, Aoi. Akira's not a bad guy. He's quite cool. Anyway, tomorrow's the weekend. Finally, right?"

Aoi giggled. Akira? Cool? The thought made her laugh a bit. But she did think of him as "cool" sometimes. _Sometimes_.

"Yeah finally. Now I can sleep all day until dinner."  
"Haha, how nice. Well, Aoi, take care. I'll see you tomorrow evening then."  
"Sure, see ya :)"

Aoi put her phone aside so she could relax. Maybe a good night's rest would calm her mind. So she went outside – Akira's not there anymore, neither is Ema, but Akira left some food for her – had her dinner, and went back to her room to sleep.

* * *

Well, this one couldn't get any worse, trust me. I tried not to delve too deep into madness while writing this, but I think I overdid it. Oops.

If you wanna know the concept behind the name of the chapter "Secrets", it's sort of like, Akira, Ema and Playmaker are keeping that same secret from her. Then there are the secret feelings she _might_ have for Yusaku.

Anyway, stay tuned for another chapter next week. Peace!


	6. Offline: Confession

**Chapter 6: Offline: Confession**

Yusaku never settled for an alarm these days. The AI in his Duel Disk was set to "wake up" in time for school. And knowing Ignis, he would make a lot of (unnecessary) noise upon waking up. Examples include a rooster sound file (the origin of which even Yusaku doesn't know), stretching noises, and sounds of... doing _something_... with his cleaning robot. But Yusaku paid no mind. It was like a personal sla– I mean, alarm clock.

Though the problem is this time, he was too preoccupied thinking about dinner with Aoi, that he forgot to make Ignis not wake up so early.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Unlike the previous times, where he was expecting it, Yusaku was startled. Luckily, his room is generally soundproof, so his parents can't hear anything. Speaking of which, his mother accepted the invitation from Akira, but his father was busy, so he asked Shoichi to go in his stead. The hot-dog cook was a little nervous to meet Akira, given his aid in keeping Playmaker's identity a secret. Hopefully, Akira is very forgiving. Out of seemingly nowhere, he gets a text. It's from Aoi.

* * *

The weekend has arrived, and Aoi woke up surprisingly early. She normally doesn't bother with weekends, and just sleeps in, but this one is different. She decided to get up early so she could prepare. But before anything, she really wanted to text Yusaku. See how he's doing.

"Hey, Yusaku, how are ya today? Excited for later?" Soon after, he got a reply.  
"I'm doing great, except my alarm woke me up way too early."  
"Oh, that's too bad. So, your parents coming along?"  
"Only my mother, but my father asked a family friend to go in his stead."  
"That's fine."

The two continued to chat about random things, about the recent project that was given to them. Yusaku joked about bringing Naoki along, and Aoi reacted in a funny way to Yusaku.

"Alright, gotta go prepare myself. See ya Aoi."  
"See ya Yusaku."

Yusaku put his phone down and checked his closet. Only then did he realize, he had no decent looking clothes to wear. He mentally slapped himself for forgetting to buy some. Dreadfully, Yusaku left his room to have breakfast. His mother was already out and prepared breakfast for him.

"Mom?"  
"Hey sweetie, I was wondering if you'd like to shop for something nice to wear."  
"How did you...?"  
"Your closet doesn't have anything special, and by the looks of it, you just realized that."  
"Sure, thanks, mom."  
"Welcome sweetie." Yusaku finished his breakfast quickly. "Now, shall we go, we'd want to be early so that we arrive before the weekend rush." They both agreed and quickly made their way to the mall.

* * *

Aoi decided to try on a new set of clothes to wear for the dinner date. Wait, not date, it's definitely not a date, but why was she blushing so much? But she browses through her closet and found... next to nothing. She sighed long and dreadfully as she realized she didn't have much to wear. When she walked out of her room, she was met with Akira.

"Hey sister, how are you today?"  
"Akira, you're up early."  
"Of course I am Aoi. So, ready for dinner later?"  
"I wish, but I have no nice clothes to wear."  
"Want to go get some?"  
"Hmm?" Aoi looked up. Akira held up a set of car keys and Aoi's mood instantly brightened up.

* * *

Yusaku's mother walked with him to the mall. Upon reaching there, he was met with a large signboard that said 'Kaiba Mall'

"So. What would you like to wear?"  
"I don't know, something casual yet fancy enough for the dinner."  
"I know just the place for you Yusaku." His mother guided him to a 2-storey clothes shop, where Yusaku noted its name: "A-to-Z Apparel"  
 _"Thank goodness they didn't name it after Ojama."_ Yusaku shivered at that thought and walked with his mother through the 2nd-floor entrance.

Meanwhile, at the exact same time. Aoi and Akira arrived at Kaiba Mall too.

"Why hello there Aoi." Aoi jumped in surprise and turned around to see Ema.  
"Y-You startled me!"  
"Well, Aki here said you want to find some new clothes, and asked for help from me." Aoi turned around to look at Akira, who was blushing slightly from the nickname.  
"Don't worry Aoi, I'll still accompany you two," said Akira.

The trio then entered Kaiba Mall, where they passed by the Card Shop, Vehicroid Garage, to arrive at A-to-Z Apparel.

"'A-to-Z', I beat that deck once before," said Aoi.  
"I'm sure it was fun."  
"It was! But the guy couldn't work around the Extra Monster Zone, so it ended up being just ABC-Dragon Buster instead of A-to-Z."  
"That would be easy to beat with someone of your skill."

It wasn't. The 2000 ATK Holly Angel couldn't stand up to the 3000 ATK ABC. But a nice setup with two sets of Lycoris and Reincarnation worked wonders, and she was able to win before crazy chaos happened. Aoi, Ema, and Akira entered through the 1st-floor entrance.

* * *

Yusaku walked along the aisles with his mother, browsing for the nicest looking shirts to wear.

"This is hopeless."  
"No, it's not." Upon saying that, Yusaku's mother picked out a well-tailored black shirt with white long sleeves.  
"Wow, this actually looks nice." Yusaku's mother smiled.  
"Wanna try it on?" She handed Yusaku the shirt and pointed to the changing rooms.

Meanwhile, Aoi and Ema were browsing the first floor for something that Aoi could wear, with Akira following close behind. He could have left this completely to Ema, and stayed at home to prepare for the dinner, but he wanted to spend some time with Aoi. Regardless, his lack of fashion sense earned him the awkwardness he felt in this situation. Soon, Ema picked out a beautiful blue dress.

"Wow, that looks... wow." Akira was at a complete loss for words, save for the four that expressed his awe. Aoi just giggled.  
"You think it will look good on me?"  
"Yes! Of course."  
"Alright." Aoi smiled and Ema led her to the changing rooms.

* * *

Yusaku looked in the mirror. he saw how nice the shirt looked on him. The black part of the shirt ended nicely at his shoulders, and the white trailed down to his wrist, where the sleeves can be rolled up. He rolled up the white sleeves to his elbow, creating a smart, yet casual feel about him.

He exited the changing room to show his mother, who smiled and nodded.

"This is perfect," she said. Yusaku changed back and gave the new shirt to her mother, who went to the cashier to pay for it.

As Yusaku went with his mother down the escalator to the first floor, Aoi and Ema exited the elevator to the second floor, missing Yusaku by mere moments. So the pair went to the changing rooms for Aoi to change into her dress.

As she stepped out after changing, Ema noted just how beautiful she looks. The blue dress looked so good on her. The dress was sleeveless, so it looked charming on her.

"I can't get the zip right." Aoi fiddled with the zip at the back of the dress, which she couldn't zip up. So Ema had to help out.  
"You seem... inexperienced."  
"I am. I never wore a dress like this before."  
"Well, you should do it more often. You look so beautiful."  
"R-Really?" Aoi blushed.  
"Yes, really. Now come along."

Aoi changed back and the two went back to the first floor to meet with Akira and purchase the dress.

"Ah, hello there you two. Come, let's go." Out of sheer coincidence, at that time, Aoi saw Yusaku and his mother leave the clothes shop. But Yusaku didn't see her. She blushed a bright red which was noticed by Akira and Ema.

"Hmm, why are you blushing dear Aoi."  
"O-Oh, no reason." Ema looked where Aoi was staring and saw Yusaku, but he was too far for them to catch.  
"Oh, I see," Ema smirked, and Aoi blushed redder before Akira spoke.  
"That's enough you two. We got a dinner to prepare for."

* * *

The time has come, and Yusaku was in his room. He sprayed on the cologne he borrowed from his father and straightened his hair as much as possible. He made sure to pack his duel disk in his bag and equip the Cyberse cards in it. He looked in the mirror and was satisfied, so he left his room to meet his mother and Shoichi. His mother had a beautiful red dress on and Shoichi had a tuxedo. This made Yusaku chuckle, as he never saw Shoichi in a tux before.

"Hey, this was tailor-made for an occasion like this."  
"Sure it was."

Aoi phoned Yusaku earlier telling him that Akira was going to meet him outside his house, and as expected, Akira arrived on time, with his car ready.

"Ready everyone."  
"We're ready Mr. Zaizen," said Yusaku's mother. Akira smiled and the Fujiki family and Shoichi went in his car.

* * *

As the Fujiki family entered the Zaizen Residence, they were met with a beautiful house. The table was set up so well, and the food looked absolutely scrumptious. The lighting was just brighter than 'romantic' and just dimmer than 'normal'. You could say it was... perfect.

Upon hearing the Fujiki family, Aoi left her room to meet them. She was in the same blue dress she bought with Ema and Akira, and just like before, she looked stunning. Yusaku's mother looked surprised, and Shoichi whistled.

But when Yusaku, donning his white and black shirt, came face-to-face with the blue-dressed Aoi, the two just locked eyes, walked a few paces towards each other and blushed.

"Wow, Aoi, you look beautiful."  
"And you Yusaku. You look so handsome." The two best friends hugged.  
"Well, aren't you two giving us a show." Akira butted in. "Come now, dinner's ready."

The Fujikis and the Zaizens (and Shoichi) all had a nice chat over dinner, talking about various things, like school, work, etc. But a hot topic was how Yusaku and Aoi met. So everyone else turned to the pair of friends (who, by the way, were sitting next to each other), which caused Aoi to blush madly.

"W-Well..." Aoi was too embarrassed, but Yusaku noticed and gathered all the courage he had to speak.  
"It was earlier this week, I was on the way to school. Then I saw this one girl trip and fall, scraping her knee. I had to help her get to school and meet with the nurse." Yusaku turned to look at Aoi, who looked back and placed her hand on his. "The nurse instructed me to stay with her for the whole day, as she didn't have any other friends available that time. I also walked home with her and... You all know the rest." Aoi just stared at Yusaku. He was looking so confident, and he remembered how they met. Most people would forget by now.  
"Wow, that's so cute of you Yusaku" His mother smiled."  
"As such, take this as a formal thank you for helping Aoi. I'm sure you'll both be happy together."

Phrasing! Akira phrased that statement **terribly**. He meant to say that Yusaku and Aoi would stay together as friends and be happy. But the words lingered in Aoi's mind as she looked towards the boy she considers her best friend, and her heart raced. She couldn't take much more.

"I-I'm sorry... I need to go to my room." Aoi rushed out into her room, leaving Yusaku and the others mildly confused.

"What's up with her?" asked Yusaku.  
"I don't know..." Akira just wondered, then spoke in a hushed tone "But anyway, I have something to ask. It's about... Playmaker."  
"So you know now?" Shoichi asked, in a surprised, yet calm manner, with the same hushed tone as Akira.  
"I told him."  
"You did?"  
"That's because I know that Aoi is... Blue Angel."  
"What?"  
"Quiet, we don't want Aoi to hear us."

Finally, Akira cleared his throat.

"Well, it was a great dinner time spent with you Mrs. Fujiki and Mr..."  
"Kusanagi. Shoichi Kusanagi." Shoichi extended his hand, and Akira shook it.  
"Right, Mr. Kusanagi. A pleasure to meet you."  
"We'll be off now."  
"Not you, Yusaku." The Fujikis stopped before they left the house. "I still need you, if that's okay with you, Mrs. Fujiki?"  
"Sure, just be back home soon."

Yusaku followed Akira to the door of Aoi's room.

"Wait here." Akira entered Aoi's room to console the girl.

* * *

"What is it, Akira?"  
"Aoi, what's wrong?"  
"It's..."  
"Don't tell me it's nothing. 'Nothing' doesn't warrant you leaving the dinner early. By inference, it's Yusaku, isn't it."  
"I'm... I'm starting... to have feelings for him, Akira."  
"Oh, sweetie, that's alright. Yusaku's a good boy."  
"Yes, but... Playmaker..." Aoi broke into tears.  
"You're conflicted Aoi. You're stuck between a man whom you don't know the real identity of and the boy who is your best friend."  
"But... I love both of them. That's the problem."  
"I know what will settle your fears."  
"Hmm?"

"Yusaku, come in." Upon hearing that, Aoi jumped in surprise. As instructed, Yusaku came in, duel disk strapped onto his arm.  
"Ignis, it's time." The duel disk turned on and Ignis' slightly serious voice was heard.  
"Playmaker, Blue Angel." Hearing Ignis, Aoi gasped in surprise. Yusaku spoke.  
"Aoi..."  
"Yusaku..."

 **"I am Playmaker"**

At the same time, Aoi got a Vrains messenger text from Playmaker, which verified what Yusaku said.  
"Yusaku... You were Playmaker... all along?"  
"Yes, I am" Tears filled Aoi's eyes, not of sadness, but of pure joy.

"I think I'll leave you two to talk. I'm sure you have lots to say." Akira left the room and closed the door.

* * *

"Playmaker."  
"Blue Angel."  
"Yusaku."  
"Aoi."  
"How did you find out?"  
"Vrains Messenger. You were texting on your phone, then I got a text from Blue Angel. It happened a few times, so I asked Akira and..." Aoi put a finger to Yusaku's lips, stopping him from saying any more.

"Let's not worry too much about the details."  
"You're right."

So the pair just sat on Aoi's bed and stared into the night sky.

"So, we'll be an official, real-life couple now, right?"  
"Yup, only our trusted family members know the truth behind Playmaker and Blue Angel."  
"And what about our friends who will eventually find out about us? In real life that is."  
"News will spread fast." Aoi looked a little worried.  
"Don't worry." Yusaku put his hand to Aoi's face, making her smile. "We'll be okay. As long as we are together." Yusaku then put his hand on Aoi's. "You'll always be my little angel."  
"Yes, we'll be okay."

A shooting star was seen in the night sky, and Yusaku and Aoi silently wished for happiness.

"I love you, Yusaku."  
"I love you too, Aoi." Aoi put her hand on the side of Yusaku's face.

They kissed.


	7. Finale: Together

**Finale: Together**

In Den City, news spreads fast. In Vrains, news spreads faster. But nothing stands up to Den Academy's speed. Once someone catches wind of something happening, the whole school knows within 48 hours. But so far, for Yusaku and Aoi, everyone is just speculating their relationship status. Noone knows any definitive answer to whether they are dating or not. Even Naoki Shima, who was now known as the guy in Yusaku and Aoi's project group, had no clue about them. But the general consensus is that they both have some form of romantic feeling towards the other, but refuse to confess. However, they also think it's inevitable how they'll end up together. No doubt in their minds. People have wagered for them to get together within the week, month, or year.

"Hey, the week's over pal, an' Yusaku ain't together wit' Aoi. So pay up pal."  
"Haha, you win." People who wagered for 'within the week' felt a little disappointed, but accepted that it was way too fast.

But everyone completely stopped when they saw the talk of the school walking through the hallway, with Aoi's arms wrapped around Yusaku's, resting her head against Yusaku's shoulder.

"Woah!" "Is that Yusaku?" "So cute." "They got pretty close." "She's holding his arm!"

Instead of just staring at them, people began to whisper amongst themselves. But it wasn't bad things they were uttering. It was hope that the two would finally be a couple. Now it looked closer than ever before. They look so cute together.

Yusaku and Aoi both noticed this, but Aoi just tightened her grip on Yusaku's arm.

"Y-Yusaku?"  
"Say, Aoi..." the girl looked up to the boy, who smiled comfortingly towards her. "Wanna make it official?" The warm smiled melted her heart and reassured her that as long as she had Yusaku, it will be smooth sailing. Aoi giggled.  
"Sure."

Aoi gave Yusaku a peck on the cheek, and the hallway erupted into orchestrated chaos; gasping followed by cheering and clapping. Yusaku replied with a kiss on her forehead, making Aoi feel safe, and the two, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder, fingers interlocked, went straight to class.

* * *

As usual, Yusaku and Aoi sat next to each other in class, this time, closer, until Yusaku could hold Aoi's hand on the table easily. Not that he wouldn't do that if it was difficult. Because he would do anything for her. Except for something that would go against her moral code. Not his own, but Aoi's. He'd easily break his morals for Aoi. Not that he'd have to.

After finishing the project they had to do last week with Naoki, the group had a relaxing time at the school garden.

"Yeah! We're done. And quicker than everyone else." Naoki was the first to celebrate, before realizing that his other two group members were fast asleep, with Aoi resting her head on Yusaku's shoulder. "Eh?" He wanted to wake them up but then decided to leave them alone. They looked cute.

Soon enough, Yusaku stirred awake. Unfortunately, Naoki was still there, reading a book, before he noticed Yusaku awake.

"Ah, Yusaku. Say, the school prom's coming up soon. You going with your princess over there." Naoki pointed to Aoi, still sleeping on Yusaku's shoulder, making Yusaku smile.  
"Sure, why not?"  
"You running for Prom King?"  
"Nah, I'd never get enough votes."  
"Oh really? Why not just give it a shot." Yusaku chuckled.  
"Why not you worry about your prom date before you worry about me."  
"Hey!" Naoki and Yusaku laughed.

"So, anyway, when's this Prom?"  
"Friday."  
"Say what?!" That was fast. Yusaku had completely forgotten. He turned to look at the girl sleeping cutely on his shoulder. "Aoi... I completely forgot."

And, just like that, Aoi woke up.

"Nnn... Yusaku?"  
"Hey, Aoi. About the Prom this Friday..."  
"What!? The Prom's this Friday!" Yusaku breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Great, so I'm not the only one who forgot."  
"Hey Aoi, wanna run for Prom Queen?" asked Naoki  
"W-What? N-No!" Naoki looked between Yusaku and Aoi. Then a thought came to him, followed by a smile.

* * *

That day, Yusaku walked Aoi back home.

"So, Aoi, this is our official first day of being a couple, ain't it?"  
"Yup, it is. I'm so happy that it's you."  
"I'm happy it's you, too." Yusaku hugged Aoi. As the couple reached Aoi's apartment building, they met once again with the cleaning lady.

"My, how cute it is to see new couples together."  
"Hello, Miss Lee. Is Akira home?"  
"No, not this time. I saw him leave a while back with some pink haired girl."  
"Ooh, must be Ema. I wonder..." Aoi thought for a bit before turning to Yusaku. "Anyway, since Akira's not home, would you... like to come up for a while?" Yusaku blushed but calmly rejected.  
"Sorry, I can't. I have to prepare for the Prom this Friday."  
"Oh right, I guess I have to too. Alright, see ya! I love you Yusaku."  
"See ya, love you too."

* * *

The week flew by fast. Yusaku and Aoi got closer, and they had their first "real-life" date. He even got to show Ignis to Aoi.

"This Yusaku. I taught him everything he knows." Aoi just giggled.  
"Is he always this talkative?"  
"Yes, unfortunately, he is."

And online, Go and Revolver can't get anywhere near them, as they're always together.

"Well, Playmaker, I'll leave you two to uh... each other," said Revolver  
"Haha, the great Duelist, Go Onizuka, shall not issue a challenge today. Have fun you two."

However, it was Thursday afternoon, and neither was prepared at all.

"Argh, I don't know what to do. I'm not prepared for the Prom."  
"Relax, say, how about we go get you fixed up." Aoi and Yusaku went to visit Shoichi, who Yusaku said will help him.

"Ah, the two lovebirds, how can I help?"  
"Well, Shoichi, tomorrow's the Prom, and I don't have a decent tux to wear." Shoichi though for a while before running into his room, and licking out a stunning new tux.

"Wow, Yusaku, I think that will look great on you!"  
"You think so? Ok, let me try it on."  
"Not so fast you two." Shoichi stopped Yusaku before he could go change. "Let the lady see you on the day itself. It will be better that way, trust me."

Yusaku's new tux he got from Shoichi was packed nicely into a bag. He took it, said goodbye to Shoichi, and walked again with Aoi.

"So, that's my tux done. Now for you."  
"Oh no! I forgot!" Aoi held her hands to her face in pure shock.  
"I-It's okay, how about we call Akira maybe..."

Suddenly, the two felt a person tap both of their shoulders. They turned around to see Ema right behind them.

"How are you two doing?"  
"Well, Aoi isn't ready for the Prom tomorrow. Think you can help us?"  
"Hmm, I do have an idea... but, you can't follow us."  
"Huh, why not?"  
"Girls things, anyway, you'll get to see it tomorrow. No spoiling the surprise."  
"Okay...?" Yusaku said farewell to Aoi and went on his way back home.

* * *

Friday has arrived, both Yusaku and Aoi were ready. Yusaku couldn't drive yet, so he had to ask Akira to help send the two of them. Yusaku anxiously knocked on the door of Aoi's house, and when it opened, he saw Aoi in a beautiful blue dress, different from the one she wore to the dinner. She wore aquamarine earrings and even without makeup, she still looked dazzling.

"A-Aoi."  
"Yusaku." They both blushed madly.  
"Alright you two, time to go."

The school reserved a function room in a luxurious hotel for the Prom. The chandelier was sparkling, a red carpet entrance. The school really went all out. Aoi offered her hand for Yusaku to take, which he gladly did. Then they walked down the red carpet. Everyone watched the lovers walk down the red carpet. They looked so cute. They chose to sit at a table with Naoki.

"Why hello you two. Come on, there's plenty to eat before the dance." And at that moment, music started playing. "Whoops, too late, looks like you guys will have to dance now."

Yusaku offered his hand, and Aoi took it, then Yusaku led her to the open area for dancing.

* * *

 _A/N: For those of you who played FF8, just imagine the next scene plays out almost the same as when Squall and Rinoa danced in the beginning of the game._

"Uh, Aoi, I don't know how to dance."  
"Don't worry, I'll help you."

Aoi took Yusaku's right hand, and placed it on her side, then put her left hand on his shoulder. Then, she held his left hand in her right hand and danced. However, Yusaku was inexperienced. He kept on stumbling into Aoi.

"Oh, Yusaku. Here, take my hand." Yusaku took Aoi's right hand in his, then started dancing again, this time, with more finesse. As the music reached its crescendo, the pair danced with all their heart, and soon, Yusaku got used to it. Towards the end, Yusaku and Aoi came close and ended the dance with their fingers interested. A beautiful dance done by the cutest couple.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to cast your votes for Prom King and Queen."

"Ooh, who are you voting for Prom Queen?"  
"You, Aoi. Who are you voting for Prom King?"  
"You, Yusaku." Aoi giggled before the two went off to cast their votes.

Yusaku, Aoi, and Naoki sat back at their table, while the student MC was getting ready to read out the results.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to announce the Prom King and Queen. The Prom King is..." The MC looked through her paper. "... actually, let's just announce both Prom King and Queen at once." Naoki smirked but wasn't noticed by Aoi or Yusaku.

"The Prom King and Queen are... Yusaku Fujiki and Aoi Zaizen!" The whole room erupted into cheering and clapping.

"W-What!" the both of them said. Aoi gasped and covered her mouth in surprise.

The MC beckoned for them to step up on stage, where the MC presented the crowns.  
"You two look cute together."

Then the ballroom erupted once again into a chorus of cheers and claps. Naoki sat at the table and smiled to himself.

"Seems like the plan worked."

* * *

After the Prom, both Yusaku and Aoi went to Aoi's place.

"Akira, I'm home, I brought Yusaku with me."  
"Ah, Yusaku, welcome. Say, I think something just came up. I need to go out now. You're welcome to stay the night if you'd like Yusaku." Yusaku blushed a bit.  
"Huh?!"  
"See ya guys." Akira swiftly left the house. Then, he dialed Ema's number.

"Yes, Akira?"  
"Hey, Ema, I need somewhere to stay the night, could I use your place?"  
"Sure, but why?"  
"I offered Yusaku to stay the night at my place."  
"Ah, I see. Well come on, I'll make some light snacks and refreshments."

Meanwhile, back at the Zaizen residence. Yusaku and Aoi looked at each other and blushed.

"Yusaku, do you really want to stay the night." Yusaku thought for a bit before answering.  
"I do, but not today. Maybe some other day when we get older."  
"Oh, okay. Sounds reasonable."  
"I'll be on my way then, see ya."  
"See you. I love you."  
"I love you too."

Yusaku left the house, leaving Aoi alone in the house. She dialed Akira's number.

"Yes, Aoi?"  
"Hey Akira, Yusaku's not spending the night here. You can come back now."  
"Oh but I'm spending the night at Ema's place." Aoi snickered. "Hey, what was that for?"  
"Nothing. Have fun at your girlfriend's place."  
"Hey wait a min–" Aoi hung up. She loved teasing Akira. She smiled, drank a glass of water, then went to her room, changed and went to bed.

* * *

 **Epilogue: Till Death Do Us Part**

 _A few years later..._

Aoi was in her room, trying to put on a gown when Ema walked in.

"Hey, how's it going? Are you ready?"  
"I just can't get the zip right."  
"Some things never change, here, lemme help." Ema helped Aoi zip the back of her gown.  
"Thanks, I'm ready."  
"Let's go then."

Although there was only one cherry blossom tree in Vrains, there were multiple ones in real life Den City. And at the base of the only blue one, which was rare, stood a large group of people, all waiting. A limousine pulled up, and from it, Aoi Zaizen and her brother stepped out. A red carpet was prepared just for her. Akira walked with Aoi down the red carpet to meet Yusaku at the base of the tree. Akira stopped and let Aoi walk towards Yusaku.

"Blue cherry blossoms. They truly are beautiful, aren't they, Aoi?"  
"Yes, they are."

An old man cleared his throat and Yusaku and Aoi turned towards him.

"Do you, Yusaku Fujiki, take Aoi Zaizen to be your lawfully wedded wife? To be true to her, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"  
"I do."  
"Do you, Aoi Zaizen, take Yusaku Fujiki to be you lawfully wedded husband. To be true to him, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"  
"I do."  
"Then I shall now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." And with that, Yusaku kissed Aoi, to the claps and cheers of everyone else present. Yusaku's mother and father were there too, his mother cried tears of joy. Akira just smiled.

* * *

Yusaku and Aoi went to a hotel room they booked for that night. Yusaku kissed Aoi gently.

"I love you, Aoi."  
"I love you too Yusaku."

It was late at night, and the two should be ready to sleep now.

"Uh, Yusaku."  
"Yes, Aoi?"  
"Could you... help me with my gown." Aoi was fiddling with the zipper on her back.  
"S-Sure." Yusaku helped Aoi undo the zip at the back of her gown, and Aoi turned to Yusaku.  
"Thank you, Yusaku." Aoi played with the buttons on Yusaku's tux, unbuttoning the top few and running her fingers along his chest. "Shall we...?"  
"As you say."

The pair got in bed and tossed their clothes on the floor. That night was the best night they ever had.

* * *

A/N: And we are done here. Thank you all for being patient with this. I said before that this is my first story, and it really looks like you all enjoyed it. Thanks again. Peace!

P.S. Don't mind the sort of lemon at the end


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